Chapter 262: Giant Chun-bong
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 262: Giant Chun-bong
An inner demon is a devil that resides within the heart.
This particular devil primarily feeds on a martial artist’s worries, conflicts, confusion, shock, and despair. Judging by its diet—gorging exclusively on the darkest dregs of the human psyche—one could easily guess its temperament was far from pleasant.
Seo-jun had faced inner demons a few times before. Unlike most people, however, he had never found them particularly difficult to handle.
Perhaps it was because, as the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, dealing with "demons" was second nature to him. Or perhaps it was simply because Lee Seo-jun was the kind of oddball who lived his life with a "so what?" attitude.
But this time was different. In fact, he wasn't even sure if this thing was an inner demon.
It wasn't a devil born from his own mind, like the ones others faced.
It had emerged from deep within his mental imagery. From the world known as the Ideal World. From the very essence of that world: Primordial Unity.
Seo-jun’s eyes met a colossal eyeball dwelling within that essence. He couldn't tell what it was.
He only remembered the sheer shock of the moment. The sensation of incomprehensible, higher-dimensional knowledge being violently shoved into his brain, sending his soul soaring to dizzying heights as if it were burning white-hot.
In that fleeting state of omnipotence, where the vast universe itself felt like a mere speck of dust, he experienced a paradoxical alienation: the crushing realization that his own existence was nothing more than an utterly insignificant trifle…
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun looked at the massive pillar still standing firm within his mental imagery. The pillar was a metaphor for his self-conviction—and that conviction remained unshaken.
If that was true, then what exactly was this devil currently rampaging through his heart?
Just as a surge of blood threatened to erupt from his throat due to the unbearable sense of dissonance, Giga Chun-bong—who had been watching the situation unfold—stepped forward.
‘Hey, you bastard! Stop picking on my brother!’
Giga Chun-bong’s body swelled in an instant. Growing larger than a mountain, larger than a continent, larger than the universe itself until the cosmos looked like mere dust, Giant Chun-bong delivered a dainty noogie right to the head of the long-bodied devil.
K-booooooooom!!
A Big Bang. Energy capable of birthing a new universe exploded from Chun-bong’s noogie, and the devil let out a shriek.
────!
The devil swung its long tail, slapping Giant Chun-bong across the cheek. This little shit? Enraged, Seo-jun struck out at the creature.
He caught the swinging tail, redirecting its kinetic force using the principles of the Transcendent Realm, and—Boom!—closed the distance in a flash, hammering a shockwave of internal energy directly into its core.
The devil didn't even budge. Ignoring Seo-jun entirely, it bared its fangs at Giant Chun-bong.
Snap! Giant Chun-bong quickly ducked, and the devil’s maw clamped down on empty air.
A single bead of cold sweat rolled down Giant Chun-bong’s soft cheek. It was strong. Giant Chun-bong exchanged a look with Seo-jun and nodded.
Even with the two of them double-teaming it, they were still lacking power. There was only one solution left.
‘Unni…! Help!’
At Giant Chun-bong’s cry, Namgung Su-ah descended from the distant heights. She wore a benevolent smile, a faint halo shimmering behind her head.
She initially looked at the devil through narrowed eyes, but upon seeing the wounds on Seo-jun and Chun-bong, her blue eyes snapped wide open.
‘Kids, we’re having eel soup for dinner tonight.’
Brandishing a pair of twin swords, she charged the devil.
Her fluidly swinging blades carved deep wounds into its long body. Murky blood spurted out, but it couldn't even touch Namgung Su-ah. Sizzle! Her halo evaporated the devil’s blood on contact.
Giant Chun-bong moved in instantly. Thwack! A brutal uppercut slammed into the devil’s jaw. ────! The creature's head snapped back.
Seo-jun manifested six massive arms of Qi behind his back and began tenderizing the devil’s entire body. Bam-bam-bam-bam! The devil writhed, struggling to resist.
Namgung Su-ah didn't miss the opening. Her two swords flashed, cutting deep into the devil’s neck.
Slice────
The long-bodied devil convulsed under her blade. Gurgle— the sound of bubbling blood foam echoed through the space.
Quick-witted as ever, Giant Chun-bong rushed in to pin the creature down. She bear-hugged the long torso tight and shouted.
‘Unni!’
‘Got it!’
Namgung Su-ah began pummeling the devil’s head with fists as heavy as her vast maternal love.
────!
The devil shrieked. Giant Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah looked at Seo-jun. Now! Seo-jun nodded at their signal.
‘You disrespectful little shit!’
Leaping into the air, Seo-jun gathered Primordial Unity in his hand. Primordial Unity was the cradle of all things. Molding the sheer, unadulterated "shittiness" filling his heart into physical form, he plunged it deep into the devil’s massive skull.
────────!!
The devil screamed one last time and fell silent. Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, and Seo-jun looked at each other and grinned.
‘Good job.’
Slap! The three of them shared a satisfying high-five. Chun-bong gave Seo-jun a peck on the cheek, and Namgung Su-ah pulled him into an embrace, stroking his hair.
Then, the two of them walked away hand-in-hand. Seo-jun waved vigorously until their backs disappeared from view.
"Whew…"
In reality, Seo-jun opened his eyes. For now, he had managed to suppress the inner demon.
‘Can I even call that an inner demon?’
He wasn't sure what to label it. But this wasn't something that originated from his own mind.
It was, quite literally, something inside him.
‘Primordial Unity.’
Seo-jun grew suspicious of it. A memory suddenly flashed through his mind.
The Paired-Wing Celestial God spake, "Thy Primordial Unity Divine Art is closer to an innate ability than to martial arts," and Seo-jun didst accept this and nod.
Those were the words of his father-in-law himself.
Did that mean the problem lay with the Primordial Unity Divine Art he had been using since his days in the back alleys? Or was there some secret hidden within the "Seed of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons"?
Or perhaps, even before all that, was there something else that had taken root within him a long time ago?
Seo-jun had already decided on the answer to all of this.
"Whatever."
If something was rampaging inside him, he just had to beat it into submission.
Of course, he expected it wouldn't be easy. Even now, the devil in his heart, crumpled after a good thrashing, was biding its time for another chance.
Now that it had awakened, it would only grow stronger over time. At this rate, it might not be long before he could no longer stop it.
To prevent that—
‘I need the real things.’
The originals of the Giant Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah in his mental imagery. Those two were the best medicine for his inner demon. Therefore, he needed to return to the Namgung Clan as quickly as possible.
But before that.
‘Hey.’
Seo-jun called out to the trio trapped deep within his mental imagery: the Giryeon Sect Leader, Baek Yun, and Geom-gwang.
— Aaaaaagh…!!
— Huaaaaah…!!
— Hahaha! What is this?!
Looking at them now, Geom-gwang was the only one who seemed remotely sane. That bitch.
Because the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons felt displeased, his lowly servants immediately followed his unspoken command and began tearing Geom-gwang’s soul to shreds.
Meaning, the cute little eyeballs and mouths scattered throughout his mental space were "massaging" Geom-gwang’s soul here and there.
— Gwaaaaah…!
It was a pain that even someone like Geom-gwang found difficult to endure. Such was the nature of spiritual agony.
After screaming for what felt like an eternity in the mental space—though it was but a fraction of a second in reality—Geom-gwang gasped for breath and lifted his head.
— Oh…!
He saw it. A colossal entity was looking down at him. From outside the world where Geom-gwang was imprisoned, a massive eyeball stared at him.
Geom-gwang’s soul twisted from the indescribable sense of dissonance. He bit his tongue. There was no physical pain, but his sanity returned.
Staring up at that giant entity, Seo-jun, Geom-gwang asked:
— What is it you wish to know?
‘What is an inner demon?’
— It refers to a devil that dwells within the heart.
‘Is it not something created by oneself?’
— It can be, and it can also not be.
‘Explain.’
— Inner demons are mostly a sickness of the heart stemming from a martial artist’s delusions and obsessions.
‘And if it’s not one of those "mostly" cases?’
— There are countless possibilities. It could be a side effect of a martial art, a power originating from the outside, or something that was originally dormant within oneself.
Then, Geom-gwang suddenly shook his head and let out a boisterous laugh.
— That Primordial Unity of yours! Did you truly think a human could contain such a thing?!
‘Why wouldn't I be able to?’
— There is no way!
‘Then what?’
— Give it to me! I shall contain it! With it, I shall see the end of the sword…!
Seo-jun unceremoniously shoved Geom-gwang back into the depths. He didn't think the man would be of any more help.
Instead, he took a peek to see what his inner demon friend was up to.
Their eyes met.
"Ugh…!"
Black blood poured from his mouth. Arrogant bastard. Feeling petty, Seo-jun engaged in a few more staring contests, vomiting more blood in the process.
"Ptooey…!"
Eventually, the devil grew exhausted and looked away. Having claimed victory, Lee Seo-jun spat out the remaining blood in his mouth.
He had learned one thing through this process.
If he used Primordial Unity or met the eyes of the devil in his mental imagery, blood would pour from his mouth.
It was a logic so simple even a neighborhood dog could understand it.
Other than that, it didn't seem like his heart or mind had any particular issues. Probably.
His thoughts had always been a bit scattered anyway.
‘It’s becoming a nuisance.’
Seo-jun tapped his chest and kicked off the ground. The mountain, which had literally become a mess, receded into the distance beneath his feet.
‘If a war breaks out between Transcendent Realm masters, it’ll be a real disaster.’
They’d probably have to redraw the map of the Central Plains.
As he flew through the air, his idle thoughts continued.
Speaking of war, something came to mind.
Western technology. If they had crystal balls that were practically equivalent to smartphones, what kind of technology did they have on their mainland?
Since there was a game about piloting fighter jets, did they have actual fighter jets too?
That would mean they had missiles, and maybe even weapons similar to nukes.
With that level of technology, what would happen if a war broke out with the Central Plains?
In his mind's eye, Seo-jun pictured hundreds of thousands of missiles raining down on the Central Plains.
And then, the Heavenly Demon simply waved his hand.
And nothing happened.
‘Hmm.’
How much power could a Profound Realm master exert? How many experts were there in the West?
To a Super Peak expert, a missile wouldn't be much of a problem. It was entirely possible to intercept it before it exploded.
And what if it was detonated remotely? A Super Peak martial artist still wouldn't die.
If it were a Transcendent Realm martial artist, even a nuke exploding right in their face wouldn't be a big deal. Of course, he wasn't sure what would happen if magic was infused into the blast. Still, protecting their own territory wouldn't be difficult.
A world of advanced technology. Martial arts that pursued transcendence as a human. Technology versus humanity.
‘In the first place, if the Westerners were confident, wouldn't they have invaded already?’
It was hard to judge without knowing their exact level. But as someone who had reached a high stage through martial arts, Seo-jun could vaguely guess.
If technology had advanced that much, the overall level of martial arts would inevitably fall behind.
Of course, those destined to reach the Transcendent or Profound Realms would still do so, but considering the essence of martial arts…
Wait, was magic different?
His head felt complicated. Trying to use a brain he rarely used suddenly made him angry.
‘I should probably have a talk with the Murim Alliance Leader at some point.’
That man would likely know something. Like the reason why the Murim didn't accept Western technology, or what life was like in the West.
"A-An inner demon...!? Wait just a moment!"
He had stopped by the North Sea Ice Palace as promised. He’d had to physically restrain a horrified Baek Seol-hyang from trying to raid the entire Ice Palace storehouse, but he still ended up heading toward the Namgung Clan with his arms full of elixirs and manuals—like the Clear Heart Mantra—that she had insisted on shoving onto him. As he traveled, his idle thoughts resumed.
Airship vs. Transcendent Realm.
Honestly, wouldn't the Transcendent Realm master win?
Once you reached the Transcendent Realm, you couldn't be killed by simple physical force. He’d never tried it, but even if he were shoved into the sun, he probably wouldn't die. (Not that a Transcendent Realm martial artist could actually produce the energy output of a sun, of course.)
Unless the sun had a will of its own and actively tried to do something about it.
Anyway. Unless the Westerners had achieved some kind of transcendence through technology, their tech wouldn't mean much to high-level experts.
If they bombarded the Central Plains with missiles, sure, the commoners would die in droves, but there wouldn't be any actual loss in military power.
And what if a bunch of martial artists crossed over to the West and just moved their entire base of operations there?
Seo-jun, who had been pondering these interesting scenarios, eventually shook his head vigorously.
What was the point of worrying about this when he knew nothing?
Discussing what would happen if they fired missiles imbued with magic like Hellfire was a completely meaningless exercise until he actually saw it for himself.
So, the conclusion:
‘Western trip confirmed!’
He just had to go and see it in person.
*
An angry Geum Chun-bong roared.
"No...! I told you that's not how you do it! Just swing it! In a straight line! Like bam! Whoosh! See? Why can't you do this!?"